Billy Davies on Charlton

AFKABartram

from the mirror

BILLY DAVIES hopes his decision to snub Premiership Charlton in the summer will be vindicated by taking Derby to the top-flight.

The Addicks targeted Davies to replace Alan Curbishley after his outstanding job at Preston, where he guided the modest Championship club into the play-offs in successive seasons.

But Davies didn't fancy working at The Valley in a continental-style structure alongside coach Les Reed and general manager Andrew Mills.

The Scot instead opted to take over at Pride Park where he has immediately enhanced his shrewd reputation by steering the Rams to second, while Charlton have lurched from one crisis to another.

Orginal choice Iain Dowie was sacked, and his replacement Les Reed has been booed by the fans.

Meanwhile, the ambitious Davies, 42, is well on the way to fulfilling his aim of managing in the Premiership by steering Derby up.

"I had three or four offers in the summer and I spoke to a few clubs," admitted Davies. "I spoke to Charlton Athletic and I had a very good meeting with them.

I found them nice, decent people to speak to.

"But in the end I just felt this club was the one waiting to happen with great potential and Charlton and I went our different ways.

Sco

Politely put, but he (and has since been proved that he was sensible) realised that following Curbs into a set-up that wouldn't be of his choosing would be a massive and heavily-scrutinized task. What was expected of him at Derby? He is already outweighing their hopes - he knows what he is doing and did so as well when he said "no".

Perversely (given our current plight), Charlton could now be a more attractive prospect to such a manager as all the "let's see if you can do better than Curbs" feeling is now gone entirely.

AFKABartram

good point Sco,